Africa-Press – South-Africa. The ANC-led government should preoccupy itself with formulating and outlining the state’s plan of action for the year ahead and not immerse itself, or get caught up in, which members might make it into Cabinet when President Cyril Ramaphosa fills vacant posts.
This was the caution given by newly elected ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile as he addressed the media on Saturday morning.
Mashatile had just concluded an engagement with community members in the Bloemfontein CBD ahead of the ANC’s 111th birthday celebrations on Sunday.
The party’s new second in command, who is poised to take over as the country’s deputy president, warned that the most beneficial way of appointing capable individuals into cabinet would be informed by the party focusing on addressing the needs of the country’s citizenry.
“Some other comrades are going to resign obviously; for example, Comrade Mbalula must come and be full-time at Luthuli house, so it means there is going to have to be a replacement,” said Mashatile, who was quick to add that “the priority be preparing for the ANC and government lekgotla [engagements at which the governing party and state departments forge among other things service delivery plans for the year]”.
“Let’s look at the programs planned for the year because once you know what the programs are and the projected that is a priority, the president is then able to appoint the people he believes are capable of implementing those programs,” said Mashatile.
He explained that in keeping with the spirit of trying to prioritise South Africans and not place the internal scrabble for positions beyond all else, the party would hold a national executive committee (NEC) meeting on 16 January that would prepare for the party and government lekgotlas’.
“The ANC will be looking at the programs for the year first and then at medium terms programs. Once we have adopted those, the government will hold a lekgotla where it will look at the issues and priorities of the year in preparation for the State of The Nation Address, where the president will outline the state’s plan of action.
“I think it’s only after this that the president will probably start looking at the reconfiguration of the cabinet,” said Mashatile.
A cabinet reshuffle appears imminent, considering deputy president David Mabuza, who failed to acquire a second term as the ANC’s deputy president.
Five ministers also failed to be reelected into the party’s NEC, and four deputy ministers were met with the same fate.
A cabinet vacancy was already created after Ayanda Dlodlo ditched her cabinet post for a position at the world bank in April.
Instead of appointing someone to replace her, Ramaphosa kicked the can down the road and placed Thulas Nxesi as acting minister of the department of Public Service and Administration.
Another vacancy will open up after Mbalula, who is the current minister of transport, was elected ANC secretary general at the recently concluded national elective conference.
Given that the secretary general position is a full-time deployment, Mbalula is, according to Mashatile set to hand in his resignation from cabinet.
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